Reclining Buddha

Buddha in parinirvana, Gandhara art, 2nd or 3rd century
Buddha entering nirvana, Bắc Ninh province, Vietnam, 17th century AD

A reclining Buddha is an image that represents Buddha lying down and is a major iconographic theme in Buddhist art. It represents the historical Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the parinirvana.[1] He is lying on his right side, his head resting on a cushion or relying on his right elbow, supporting his head with his hand.

This pattern seems to have emerged at the same time as other representations of the Buddha in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara.

  1. ^ "The Discourse on The Great Parinirvana" (PDF). www.themindingcentre.org. p. 140. Retrieved 2018-12-07.